I'm very tempted. I worry about deviating from the plans. Is there any modification needed in the gear legs or nose wheel with the kit changes laid out in the previous thread here? Or can I just buy the Beringer kit and bolt it in no sweat?

Also - where can I find how to connect the steel braided brake line in the Beringer kit? I know how to flare aluminum but that would be new for me....

I just received my Beringer kit recently. I haven't installed it yet but my understanding is that the axles are a direct replacement for Van's. As for the lines, Beringer includes detailed instructions with the kit on how to assemble the ends. Doesn't look too difficult. The wheels are too pretty to put wheel pants over though. Nice stuff!

I'm very tempted. I worry about deviating from the plans. Is there any modification needed in the gear legs or nose wheel with the kit changes laid out in the previous thread here? Or can I just buy the Beringer kit and bolt it in no sweat?

Also - where can I find how to connect the steel braided brake line in the Beringer kit? I know how to flare aluminum but that would be new for me....

Any time you deviate from the plans it's going to add at least some extra work, but in this case I think it will be pretty minor compared to the additional reliability and maintenance savings you'll enjoy down the road.

There should not be any modifications needed to the gear legs (the Beringer kit comes with new axles that should bolt right onto Van's gear legs). The nosewheel kit is the same as what many RV-10 guys are flying and by all accounts it's a very easy installation, and there's at least one RV-14A using it so far without any issues that I'm aware of.

You will have to fabricate the brake lines but as already mentioned I think it's pretty straightforward. GrayForge has a nice website at http://www.prettybits.com/oneBigList...44&projectID=1 with some good pics documenting his Beringer installation on his -7A including pics of the brake line fabrication process.

Okay, so time to update. I got the kit, and spent some time reading the PDF manual. Pictures below.

It took me a good while playing with the layout to get it where the cables don't rub each other excessively with pedal motion.

Some things I learned....
1. The springs have to go at the bottom or they hit the top of the assembly. The bolts in Van's kit (an3-7) aren't long enough, so an3-10 or an3-11 will do the trick.

2. When the cables are made, there is a clocking that occurs, and the steel braid does not rotate at all, so paying attention to the clocking matters. I think my install could be neater if I clocked it better; but that is hard to do because the fittings rotate mercilessly when torqued. You would have to anticipate pretty exactly how much rotation the tightening is going to cause and it isn't consistent.

3. The rod ends are nice because they are have a bearing and allow the actuators to rotate freely a bit, like good rod ends do. But if the cables aren't laid out right there are a few places where the nuts for the banjo fittings could rub each other. No way they can block each other entirely, just a little rub.

4. If you lay down the cables just like the plastic lines there is an incredibly irritating amount of rub, cable to cable.

5. You will see that I fabricated an angle to mount the parking brake, and cut down some angle to make a fitting for the cable to actuate it. Playing with the angle of the banjo fittings made one set of cables run high, and the other set run low, so that the amount of rub is a minimum.

6. Instead of the single tie wrap that vans has us put on the plastic tubing 4" above the actuators, I took some plastic tubing (5/8? don't know it was in the shop) and put that around each of the four pairs of lines going up. In this way if they rub the rudder bar no damage done - and they will rub in a couple places on the left side.

7. The fittings on each length of tubing cannot be redone once done the first time. The banjo fitting and the part on the tubing side are reusable but there is a little brass olive that gets consumed in the process. So remaking the length to something shorter requires a few spares of this critical part. I didn't have any spares.

8. They tell you in the manual that one end of the cut tubing can be run through grommets and one cannot; this is true...... yesssssss......... the side that springs out cannot be made to work in a tight hole.

9. The clocking of the elbow adapter in the landing gear braces has to be on the money or the fitting won't mate to it. Alcohol dissolves Permatex #2 more than once.

That looks nice. Thanks for the comments about the clocking. I'll try to anticipate that when doing my installation. How are you mounting the parking brake? I see the bracket, but can't tell where you plan to attach it. It doesn't appear to be attached in the photo. How do you plan to actuate it? Thanks.

I'm very tempted. I worry about deviating from the plans. Is there any modification needed in the gear legs or nose wheel with the kit changes laid out in the previous thread here? Or can I just buy the Beringer kit and bolt it in no sweat?

Also - where can I find how to connect the steel braided brake line in the Beringer kit? I know how to flare aluminum but that would be new for me....

__________________
Larry Larson
Estes Park, COhttp://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/01/2017. Plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (1,800+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
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I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.

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